Three nude bearers (study for the Entombment of Christ)

The drawing captures three muscular figures from different angles, highlighting the anatomical tension required to carry a heavy body. Fine pen lines and hatching define the muscles and bone structure, demonstrating the artist's focus on realistic movement and volume. This sheet reflects Raphael's transition toward the complex, sculptural figures that would define his later Roman period.

Raphael’s anatomical studies represent the Renaissance synthesis of natural philosophy and the visual arts, treating the human body as a microcosm of divine order. This empirical approach to the human form is central to the Neoplatonic belief that physical perfection and proportion reflect the harmony of the macrocosm.